From little acorns... Print E-mail

The National Forest is nothing if not ambitious. Covering 200 square miles of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire – one of the least-wooded areas of England – it’s the first large-scale, multi-purpose forest created in this country since the Norman Conquest. 

Over six million trees have so far been planted, and the aim is to cover about a third of the land within the boundary. To date, woodland cover has more than doubled to 16 per cent. Of course, developing a forest on this scale takes time, and motorists spotting the National Forest sign beside the M1 will look in vain for a vast swathe of trees. But woodland is a precious commodity these days.

It’s a sad fact that only 11.6 per cent of the UK is wooded compared to an average of 36 per cent in other European Union countries. To reverse this decline, the government made an environmental commitment at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, and as a result the National Forest began to take root.

The plan for the new forest was clear: it was to be sustainable and multi-purpose, introducing a rich mosaic of land uses, but everywhere framed by woodland. Community, landscape and environment were to benefit in equal measure, and only ten years down the line there are tangible results for all to see – and not just a multitude of healthy green saplings.

Regeneration of a community

Many of the sites earmarked for development, especially in north-west Leicestershire, were former coal mines and clay workings that were abandoned after being worked out or flooded. There were huge areas of bare and derelict land, and in some places subsidence had created a series of artificial lakes or flashes.

A key aspect of the Forest plan was large-scale reclamation in order to transform these areas into valuable conservation and recreation sites. In little more than a decade, stagnant pools have become reed-fringed nature reserves, while off-road cycle routes, walking trails and landscaped parks have sprung up all over the place.

From pond dipping to bike hire, the National Forest has opened up new opportunities, and nowhere is this more evident than at the appropriately-named Conkers visitor centre. It’s located at Moira, near Ashby de la Zouch, on what was until the mid-1990s disused mining land.

Today it’s a green and thriving landscape, with lakes, play areas and ‘discovery zones’. The hands-on visitor centre has indoor and outdoor facilities and is a must for families – the ideal place for children to simultaneously engage their young minds and burn off excess energy.

Other attractions in the National Forest offer very different (and somewhat quieter) experiences. Moira Furnace, near Conkers, is a well-preserved iron-making furnace located on the Ashby Canal – and it has a super tearoom! The National Memorial Arboretum, near Alrewas, provides a lasting and supremely tranquil focus for remembrance; while Calke Abbey and Melbourne Hall and gardens (both in Derbyshire) are famed for their handsome period architecture and stately grounds.

Another recently-opened venue that is already proving popular is Snibston Discovery Centre, near Coalville in Leicestershire. The former colliery turned visitor centre has a widely-acclaimed fashion gallery, plus fantastic interactive science and engineering discovery halls. Throughout the Forest there is a comprehensive programme of organised walks and rambles, nature outings and cycle rides, as well as opportunities for horse riding.

Indeed, equestrian businesses are quickly realising the potential market presented by the National Forest, with B&Bs and specialist services springing up at a number of locations. Such is the tourism boom that a new youth hostel is to be built in the Forest at Moira. The purpose-built hostel, a sustainable and environmentally-friendly building, should be open for business by Easter 2007, and it will be complemented by a campsite and caravan park.  

‘Knitting’ a natural woodland

The National Forest will blend the few surviving pockets of ancient woodland at places such as Needwood and Charnwood (near Leicester) with new broadleaved and coniferous plantations. It includes 17 sites already managed by the Woodland Trust, such as Willesley Wood near Ashby. Formerly Oakthorpe Colliery, it has been re-landscaped and planted with 75,000 trees and shrubs. It is already proving a haven for wildlife and a wonderful resource for visitors and local people alike.

The diversity of woodland within the Forest is deliberate. It won’t be dominated by softwood, like the commercial and largely sterile plantations you see on some hillsides in northern Britain, but instead is intended to be a varied landscape that aims to encourage biodiversity.

The Forest already includes over 200 key species that are recognised as nationally or globally threatened, and the huge boost in tree cover will also make a contribution to the UK’s efforts to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Of course, there is an obvious commercial dividend from the new woodland – timber, the primary product – and new markets are being sought in order to ensure that the woodland is both viable and sustainable.

Every tree counts

Its is fitting that our first newly-developed, major forest for 1,000 years should be so multi-layered in its approach and have such a profound vision. Simultaneously a tool for economic and community regeneration and a means to promote sustainable recreation and encourage biodiversity, it is also a recognition of the vital role that woodland – such a diminishing natural resource – plays in the survival of our threatened environment.

It will probably be another 15–20 years before the National Forest really matures into a cohesive woodland, but already people are showing just how important the new woods are to them. In particular, the Plant a Tree in the National Forest scheme has been enormously successful, with people choosing to dedicate a tree in memory of a loved one or to celebrate a special event such as a birth, wedding anniversary or even the wedding itself.

Trees have also been planted to celebrate Mother’s Day or a birthday, to mark a special friendship, or simply as an affirmative ‘green’ thing to do. It seems that in the case of the National Forest, people can see both the woods and the trees...

Further information

The National Forest is easily accessible from the M1, M42/A42 and the A38.

It is approximately 30 minutes from Birmingham, Leicester, Derby and Nottingham, and there are regular bus and rail services from nearby towns and cities. The latest National Forest Visitor and Attractions Guide can be downloaded from www.nationalforest.org or tel: 01283 551211.
 
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